Last Chance in Texas

Last Chance in Texas
Author: John Hubner
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2008-04-29
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1588361632

A powerful, bracing and deeply spiritual look at intensely, troubled youth, Last Chance in Texas gives a stirring account of the way one remarkable prison rehabilitates its inmates. While reporting on the juvenile court system, journalist John Hubner kept hearing about a facility in Texas that ran the most aggressive–and one of the most successful–treatment programs for violent young offenders in America. How was it possible, he wondered, that a state like Texas, famed for its hardcore attitude toward crime and punishment, could be leading the way in the rehabilitation of violent and troubled youth? Now Hubner shares the surprising answers he found over months of unprecedented access to the Giddings State School, home to “the worst of the worst”: four hundred teenage lawbreakers convicted of crimes ranging from aggravated assault to murder. Hubner follows two of these youths–a boy and a girl–through harrowing group therapy sessions in which they, along with their fellow inmates, recount their crimes and the abuse they suffered as children. The key moment comes when the young offenders reenact these soul-shattering moments with other group members in cathartic outpourings of suffering and anger that lead, incredibly, to genuine remorse and the beginnings of true empathy . . . the first steps on the long road to redemption. Cutting through the political platitudes surrounding the controversial issue of juvenile justice, Hubner lays bare the complex ties between abuse and violence. By turns wrenching and uplifting, Last Chance in Texas tells a profoundly moving story about the children who grow up to inflict on others the violence that they themselves have suffered. It is a story of horror and heartbreak, yet ultimately full of hope.

Last Chance Texaco

Last Chance Texaco
Author: Rickie Lee Jones
Publisher: Grove Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2021-04-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 080218880X

A candid and colorful memoir by the singer, songwriter, and “Duchess of Coolsville” (Time). This troubadour life is only for the fiercest hearts, only for those vessels that can be broken to smithereens and still keep beating out the rhythm for a new song . . . Last Chance Texaco is the first-ever no-holds-barred account of the life of two-time Grammy Award-winner and Rickie Lee Jones in her own words (Hilton Als). It is a tale of desperate chances and impossible triumphs, an adventure story of a girl who beat the odds and grew up to become one of the most legendary artists of her time, turning adversity and hopelessness into timeless music. With candor and lyricism, she takes us on a singular journey through her nomadic childhood, her years as a teenage runaway, her legendary love affair with Tom Waits, and ultimately her longevity as the hardest working woman in rock and roll. Rickie Lee’s stories are rich with the infamous characters of her early songs—“Chuck E’s in Love,” “Weasel and the White Boys Cool,” “Danny’s All-Star Joint,” and “Easy Money”—but long before her notoriety in show business, there was a vaudevillian cast of hitchhikers, bank robbers, jail breaks, drug mules, and a pimp with a heart of gold, and tales of her fabled ancestors. This intimate memoir by one of the most trailblazing and tenacious women in music is filled with never-before-told stories of the girl in the raspberry beret, whose songs defied categorization and inspired American pop culture for decades. “A striking, distinctive self-portrait.” —The New York Times “Terrific . . . Jones is as fearless in prose as she is on stage.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Men leave, fame fizzles, family breaks your heart . . . but Jones knows a good story and how to tell it.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “[The] premiere song-stylist and songwriter of her generation.” —Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize–winner and author of White Girls

Last Chance Book Club

Last Chance Book Club
Author: Hope Ramsay
Publisher: Hachette+ORM
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1455522287

After a painful divorce, Savannah White wants nothing more than to find her happy place. So when she gets the chance to pack up her life -and her son - and move to the idyllic town where she spent childhood summers, she jumps at the opportunity. Last Chance is just as charming as she remembered. She's even invited to join the local book club, where talk soon turns to Savannah's plan to bring the ramshackle downtown movie theater back to life. A new challenge is just what Savannah needs to move forward.. . . Dash Randall wants to put his fortune to good use, but he remembers Savannah as the bratty "princess" who descended upon him each June, causing no end of trouble. But the teenager he remembered has grown into a gorgeous and generous woman, and it isn't long before Dash finds himself wanting to make brand new memories with Savannah. But first, Dash and Savannah will need to make peace with their pasts to find a new chance for love.

Last Chance

Last Chance
Author: Norah McClintock
Publisher: Darby Creek
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0761383115

When troubled Nick, Robyn's fellow volunteer at an animal shelter, is arrested, she sets out to prove his innocence.

Maizy Chen's Last Chance

Maizy Chen's Last Chance
Author: Lisa Yee
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2022-02-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1984830287

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR YOUTH LITERATURE Twelve year-old Maizy discovers her family’s Chinese restaurant is full of secrets in this irresistible novel that celebrates food, fortune, and family. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library Journal • Booklist • The Horn Book • New York Public Library Welcome to the Golden Palace! Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota . . . until now. Her mom’s plan is just to stay for a couple weeks, until her grandfather gets better. But plans change, and as Maizy spends more time in Last Chance and at the Golden Palace—the restaurant that’s been in her family for generations—she makes some discoveries.For instance: You can tell a LOT about someone by the way they order food. People can surprise you. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in disappointing ways. And the Golden Palace has secrets... But the more Maizy discovers, the more questions she has. Like, why are her mom and her grandmother always fighting? Who are the people in the photographs on the office wall? And when she discovers that a beloved family treasure has gone missing—and someone has left a racist note—Maizy decides it’s time to find the answers.

The Last Chance for Logan County

The Last Chance for Logan County
Author: Lamar Giles
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2021-10-19
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0358423082

In The Last Chance for Logan County, the third Legendary Alston Boys mystery from Edgar Award nominee Lamar Giles, Otto and Sheed team up with the Epic Ellisons against a corporation that wants Logan County’s weirdness for itself! Otto and Sheed are back in yet another legendary adventure that just might take all their deduction skills, and a little help, to solve. With their journey through the last mirror on the left behind them, Otto and Sheed are ready for things to get back to normal. But their trip to that other dimension had side effects, and they come on quickly—starting with a thunderstorm that rains carnivorous frogs! And that's only the beginning. When a suspicious company called GOO, obsessed with Logan County's weirdness, shows up and starts buying all the property in town—and threatening to take Sheed away from Otto—some of the adults start acting stranger than usual, almost… zombie-like? With the help of Otto's mom, Sheed's dad, and the Epic Ellison twins, can the Legendary Alston Boys find a way to save their town and keep their family together?

A Chance in the World

A Chance in the World
Author: Steve Pemberton
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2012-01-10
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1595552634

A stirring account of courage, hope, and victory, A Chance in the World is the extraordinary story of what is possible when you dare to believe. "Home is the place where our life stories begin. It is where we are understood, embraced, and accepted. It is a sanctuary of safety and security, a place to which we can always return. Down in the dank basement, amidst my moldy, hoarded food and beloved worm-eaten books, I dreamed that my real home, the place where my story had begun, was out there somewhere, and one day I was going to find it." Taken from his mother at age three, Steve Klakowicz lives a terrifying existence. Caught in the clutches of a cruel foster family and subjected to constant abuse, he finds his only refuge in a box of books gifted to him by a kind stranger. In these books, he discovers new worlds he can only imagine and gains hope that one day he might have a different life, that one day he will find his true home. Armed with just a single clue, Steve embarks on an extraordinary quest for his identity, only to find that nothing is as it appears. A Chance in the World is the unbelievable true story of a broken boy destined to become a man of resilience, determination, and vision. Through it all, Steve's story teaches us that no matter how broken our past, we have it in us to create a new beginning and to build a new place, where love awaits.

Welcome to Last Chance

Welcome to Last Chance
Author: Hope Ramsay
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2011-03-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1455500623

"The essence of Southern charm!" -- Sherryl Woods, New York Times bestselling author This small town has one beauty shop, one bar, one hardware store... and the one man she's been waiting for all her life. Last Chance, South Carolina. As soon as Wanda Jane Coblentz sees the name of the town, she can't help but buy a one-way bus ticket-even if it means she's left with just five dollars in her pocket. Jane's hoping to leave her troubles behind and make a fresh start. But when she's drawn to a man playing fiddle in his worn black Stetson at the local watering hole, Jane realizes that falling for yet another bad boy may put an end to her plans to reinvent herself... Clay Rhodes is ready to settle down. He's intrigued by Jane but it seems like she's just passing through. Then to his surprise, Jane makes herself right at home, and the local matchmakers have him nearly convinced that she's the one for him. Until Jane's dark past follows her to Last Chance, and the woman who's brought a ray of sunshine into his small town may just make a run for it - unless Clay can convince her that she's finally found a home. Includes the bonus story "A Fairytale Bride"!

The Last Chance Hotel

The Last Chance Hotel
Author: Nicki Thornton
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2019-05-28
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1338323725

Readers looking for an enchanting read, a story of overcoming the odds, or a tale of suspense will love this traditional Agatha Christie, who-dun-it mystery, matched and raised by a hint of magic. Seth is a kitchen boy at the remote Last Chance Hotel. His father has long ago left, leaving him imprisoned until he is old enough to set out on his own. If there's any hope he has, it's to be the greatest chef that ever lived... just like his father. One night, a band of magicians begin to arrive to participate in a secret meeting -- a Prospect Selection Procedure to determine the most talented magicians in the world, judged by their leader Dr. Thallonius. Seth has one task: to make Dr. Thallonius the greatest dessert he's ever tasted. Then, maybe he will help Seth find a way to freedom. But when the doors to the private meeting open, and Dr. Thallonius lay dead on the floor, the group blames the dessert, which means that it's Seth who will pay the price. But Seth knows he's innocent, and only has so much time to eliminate each suspect and prove his innocence.